It's not real until it's on LinkedIn.
Yes, I just quit my fancy tech job as a Product Manager.
A job that was
- fully remote
- with great pay
- something that was my dream job just a few years ago.
It still feels weird to say this and don't worry, I will make a video about it. Something a bit more personal than all the other videos on my channel where I go deeper on things.
It's been a few weeks already and there are 3 things that I have realized so far:
1. Your "Dream Job" changes (and it's fine)
At 16 I dreamed of working at Google.
Then I dreamed of being the next Steve Jobs. Then I read his biography and realized it's a terrible idea.
Then I wanted to get into big tech. Done that.
Then I wanted to work at a growing startup managing a tech product. Done that.
Anytime you reach a milestone, even your dream one, there is always a "honeymoon phase", but after that you start to ask yourself: this is cool and it maybe is everything I wanted it to be, but what's next?
And this is good. Very good.
What you dream today is something that you'll want to get out of later on, and to me this is amazing.
2. You are your own boss. But what if you're a bad boss of yourself?
I will share more about what's the plan for me now in the next Email Club episode (stay tuned) and in the upcoming video. No, the plan is not to just make YouTube videos.
But what I can tell you is that these first weeks of "being my own boss" with no set calendar, no set hours and complete freedom to do whatever you want have been very challenging.
Because yes, you can be your own boss. But what if you're not a good boss?
What if you force yourself to work 13 hours a day because now everything depends on you? What if you always push for more from your employee (you) because now everything is in your hands and there is no comfy salary coming in?
"I'm free, therefore I'm lost" - Franz Kafka
I've been a terrible boss to myself so far, so now I started creating rules and guidelines like a corporate giant (even though it's just me). For example:
- At least 1 day off per week
- Split work communications on Slack (without mobile notifications) and personal on WhatsApp
- No work after 10PM (need to improve on that)
3. "Hi, I'm Enrico"
I remember when meeting new people in some sort of professional environment and doing the usual chitchat I would introduce myself:
"Hi, I'm Enrico, I work as a product manager, ..""
We all tend to identify and put a lot of ourselves into what we do. It's what occupies a large part of our day so it only makes sense that part of our identity is our job.
But the fun thing that happens when you leave your job is that you finally start to detach from that. You're not "the product manager", "the barista", "the chef", "the pilot". You're just ..you.
You realize that what you thought was an integral part of you, your job, was just that. A job.
And it feels great!
Although now explaining what I do takes way more time, but it's a good starter for a long conversation 💀
Want to support me?
I don't have a salary now, and I am totally fine. Do not worry!
But:
- If you like what I do
- If you want to support me
- If you are interested in how I actually make my videos
The best way to support me is by learning all the behind the scenes and learning hands-on how I make my videos with Storybehind.
You can check out Storybehind here
I appreciate it 💙
🔗 Links
See you in the next one!
- Enrico
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